


is it easier to stay, is it easier to go (that's one thing I never know)

by sapphire (lunariajen)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst with a Happy Ending, Chaos Ensues, M/M, but a light angst dw, death & violence mention, i mean theyre literally robbing a bank, illegal activities mentions, you know ocean's 11? this is jeno's 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-09-26 00:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20380396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunariajen/pseuds/sapphire
Summary: "Who wouldn't be angry, you ate all my cereal and faked your death for three years!"One day Park Jisung wakes up to the sight of his supposedly dead best friend eating breakfast in his kitchen. He screams for a while and things go fast since that point, their high school squad reunites, they get drunk and flash forward three days later they're robbing a bank.





	is it easier to stay, is it easier to go (that's one thing I never know)

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! welcome to my jenozine fic~ i hope you'll enjoy it, even though it's different from my original plan and told through jisung's eyes instead of being solely focused on jeno.. nonetheless, forgive me for my mistakes pls and have fun!

The day began like any other, except it was Sunday and thank God for that because Jisung desperately needed some rest. When he finally crawled out of the bed at 10 AM, he headed to the kitchen with leftovers of corn flakes in his hand; careful not to wake up his annoying neighbor. The boy rubbed his temple, memories of his dream fainting away. _He_ was there again, as usual.

The moment he stepped into the kitchen, the bowl fell out from his hand, shattering on the floor into little pieces. But Jisung couldn't hear his neighbor’s furious knocking on the wall, staring at the man who was calmly consuming breakfast at the table.

“What in the world, Lee Jeno?!”

The said guy looked up with a shrug, packing another spoon of cereal into his mouth. “I had rung the doorbell but you didn't respond so I invited myself.”

Was it still a dream? Jisung pinched himself and then quickly searched for the clock to make sure; he could clearly read the hour. He shifted his gaze and began watching the boy eat in his kitchen as if he hasn't been deceased for three years now. Ghosts don't eat, right? So either Jisung has gone crazy or it's the actual Lee Jeno, his best friend since the age of eight and supposedly dead since the age of twenty.

“Is it.. for real?” he shook his head in doubt, placing his hands on his hips.

“Well, that depends… But yeah, I'm fine. Just couldn't contact you.”

Jisung exhaled slowly, he could feel his cheeks getting warm and his heart speeding up. “You… You hopeless douchebag! Why didn't you tell me?!” he shouted and took a few steps closer, clenching his fists.

Knocking on the wall followed it, but Jisung only screamed a “This is an important matter, Donghyuck!” and continued throwing insults at the boy.

“Gosh, why are you so angry? Shouldn't you be happy that your best friend is alive?” Jeno leaned back into the chair, rolling his eyes.

“Who wouldn't be angry, you ate all my cereal and faked your death for three years!” Jisung threw his hands up. "I've been going crazy here and you've been out there all this time!"

"I know, I know," Jeno held his hands up in surrendering gesture. "I wanted to message you but Renjun said you would try to find me."

"Of course I would! Wait, Renjun knew? You told this bastard and you didn't tell _me_?"

"I didn't, he was the one who contacted me. He knows much more, this is pretty complicated," Jeno pulled out a chair so the younger boy could sit.

"Now that I think about it… That would make sense. He's such a crybaby but didn't shed a tear on your funeral," Jisung sighed and plopped down onto the chair. The two sat in silence for a short while, Jisung's mind racing with questions. He wasn't sure what he was feeling but despite his harsh words, he couldn't be gladder to see Jeno again.

"Did you?"

"What? Oh, of course! Even though I had my theories… I couldn't believe someone like you would die in a car crash. It's too ordinary."

"It wasn't a car crash, Sungie, but that's a long story. Rather, would you like to go get some ice cream and tell me what happened to our friend group?" Jeno rested his head on his hands and fluttered his long eyelashes at the younger boy.

"You can't go outside, someone might recognize you!" Jisung was just about to add a few more reasonable arguments when a doorbell rang, making him roll his eyes. He got up with a groan and opened the door, revealing his neighbor.

"Listen here, Jisung, I don't care if you fight with your boyfriend even though you shouldn't but can you shut- Wait, you got a new boyfriend?" The shorter boy ran his hand through his light orange hair with widened eyes and pointed at Jeno, who also walked up to the door. They both scanned each other from head to toe, Jisung's neighbor smirked slightly. His posture nearly screamed 'nonchalant' as he was leaning on the door frame, with one of his hands wrapped around his waist and the other one running through his messy hair over and over again. "He's not so bad, but now that your ex is available would you mind if I…"

"Oh shut up, Donghyuck, this is not my boyfriend. He's my best friend Jen-"

"Jen Nim Wang," Jeno interrupted quickly, outstretching his hand.

Donghyuck shook it after a short while, squinting his eyes. "Lee Donghyuck. Why haven't I seen you around if you're best friends with this piece of disappointment?"

"I live in New Zealand, I came to pay him a small visit."

"I see. Well, have fun then. Just not before noon."

Jisung sent him a fake goodbye smile and slammed the door shut, turning around to face Jeno.

"So Jen Nim Wang, huh…"

"So a boyfriend, huh…" Jeno replied before grabbing a black mask and his bag. "I really think we should go get some ice cream."

Jisung finally gave in and soon the two were exploring the streets. The sun was peeking through clouds, flowers were blooming and it would be a perfect spring day if it wasn't for the terribly cold wind. Yet the younger boy couldn't help but smile to himself as they kept bumping shoulders. It felt as if they were teenagers again.

After a while, the boys found themselves in a small coffee shop, a one they've never been to before.

"Iced coffee isn't the same thing as ice cream but I guess it could do," Jeno shrugged and sat more comfortably in a beige armchair. "So? The last time we talked you were still stuck in high school."

"Yeah," Jisung took a bite of an apple pie, his breakfast of the day. "Long story short, I major like, car engineering and dance in the free time that I don't have because I work as an Uber and in a warehouse. Oh, and about the boyfriend, I hope you won't be mad…"

"You're dating Jaemin," Jeno squinted his eyes, more stating the fact rather than asking.

"In theory, yes, but we meet like two times a month at most and have sleepovers once in three months at most. He spends his time either studying, or working night shifts at a pharmacy, or hanging out with Renjun, or babysitting his son," the younger boy counted on his fingers.

"His who?!" Jeno nearly choked on the coffee he was sipping.

"Oh, don't worry," Jisung waved his hand in a disregarding manner. "He had a girlfriend once, she cheated, got pregnant and begged him to look over the baby until she finds herself a husband. And you know Jaemin, he has a too good heart to decline. So now he's had a son for over a year."

"Interesting. We should meet up with him too."

"What? We can't do that, he thinks you're gone! Imagine what would you do if your ex came back from the dead just like that," Jisung ignored the looks he got from other customers.

Jeno chuckled quietly as he leaned forward and grabbed Jisung's hand to keep him calm. "Sungie, I'm sorry to break it to you but I believe you're the only one in our friend group who thought I was dead."

"What do you mean by that..?" The boy's eyes widened, reflecting the light coming from the huge window on his left. "What on Earth, Jen… Jen Nim, for fuck's sake!"

"Out of you three, only Renjun saw my supposed corpse, right? And, well, if you did, you would also notice that the body didn't have… the scars."

Jisung let out a small 'oh' before blinking a few times, getting flashbacks from the miserable day.

_"Gosh… At least you're not that seriously hurt," Jisung's voice was still shaky when he tried to bandage Jeno's arm, his hands stained with his best friend's blood._

__

_"About that…" Jeno chuckled shortly as he took his bloody hand away from his stomach and lifted the blue t-shirt, gaining a gasp from the younger boy._

_ __ _

_"Jeno! You're so reckless, my gosh," Jisung whined loudly, his eyes teary and breath uneven, mindlessly pressing a bandage to the newly found wounds. "You should have told me earlier!"_

_ _ __ _ _

_"It's me who got stabbed, stop acting like you're hurt more than I am," Jeno joked but his smile faded as soon as it appeared, replaced by an uncomfortable grimace. "Call Doyoung, I need medical help."_

_ _ _ __ _ _ _

_"How can you be so calm?!" Jisung's hands started shaking uncontrollably as he tried to unlock Jeno's phone._

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_"I'm not calm at all, Sung, I'm literally like, bleeding out," Jeno grabbed the boy's hand to give him courage. "But we can't panic now, you understand? It doesn’t hurt that much yet. Nonetheless, I feel quite weak, so… Could you?"_

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

_Jisung sniffled and nodded, picking up Doyoung's number. "Hyung… We… We need your help and we can't go to the hospital…" He sobbed. "Some guy picked up a fight with Jen and he got… he got stabbed."_

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"Whose body was it then?" Jisung asked when he was back into reality.

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"That's a story for another time."

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"No, why did you come back? What were you doing this whole time?" He shook his head and clenched his fist. "You're dead for three years, then you come back and it turns out you weren't dead at all and our friends lied to me. What for?"

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"I'll tell you when my friend comes to the city, okay? He should be here by tomorrow at most. This is way more complicated and uh, well, it all started from the mutual hobby of Joy and me," Jeno broke the eye contact and scratched his nape. "And Zhong Chenle."

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"Oh," Jisung couldn't help but smirk. "I see where this is going."

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"Yeah, anyways, have your hacking skills improved since the last time I witnessed you using them?"

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"Uh, not really, but I know someone…"

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _____

_ _ __ _ _

° ° °

_ _ __ _ _

__  
__  
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"This is so sick and twisted," Donghyuck wiped an invisible tear off his cheek and sniffed. "I can't believe I got the coolest proposition in my life from the lamest person I've ever met."

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"Quit being an ass, Hyuck," Jisung rolled his eyes. "Are you in or not?"

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"Of course I am! But just know that I'm doing it only for your best friend. You don't even lend me sugar when I ask!"

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"I don't own any sugar!"

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

An amused smile was wandering on Jeno's lips as he watched the two neighbors argue. They were so different and it showed in everything they did and how they lived. Even their apartments, originally looking the same, were now the exact opposite. Jisung preferred white walls and light furniture, with minimalistic decorations while Donghyuck's apartment was constantly drowned in darkness due to the black aesthetics with one vivid red wall.

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"So, you're telling me I'd have to hack into a bank," Donghyuck grinned and joined the older man on the pitch-black leather couch. "Why such an idea? Is that what you do?"

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

Jeno turned his head to face the orange-haired boy and smirked slightly. "Well, in short, breaking into buildings used to be my job. I've decided to stop it, this is the last time, so my partner and I could honor our friend, John. He used to be our hacker, he's always dreamed about doing something bigger."

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"What happened to him?"

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"Five months ago, Japan. We were caught in a trap, he stepped out of the car to help us. Just on our way back, he got shot twice in the chest. Our friend nurse couldn't help him..." Jeno snorted quietly, staring at the wooden floor.

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

"I'm sorry to hear that. I promise to do my best even though it's crazy like, hell, we might end up in jail for years."

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

The two continued talking but Jisung lost focus on what they were saying. He remained quiet, squeezed into a red armchair which was much more of a huge pillow.

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

He tried hard to process the information Jeno has shared with them. His best friend was a robber, burglar, whatever. It was nowhere near his previous life ideas.

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

_Jisung swung his legs back and forth, watching the city go to sleep from the rooftop of an abandoned house._

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“You see that building?” Jeno, who sat right next to him, pointed at one of the skyscrapers in the distance. “I'm going to own a few like this one in twenty years.”_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“I mean, you gotta dream big,” Jisung shrugged and leaned back to lie down._

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Come on, you don't seem to have any ambitions,” Jeno frowned, laying next to the younger boy._

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“I do have ambitions. I want to get into the top college, find a well-paid job, a wife maybe… Live an unbothered life, travel a lot, stuff like that.”_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“When you were in elementary school you hanged a Formula 1 poster on your wall and it's still there, Jisung. You said what is expected of you. You dream about something different, something bigger.”_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“And what about it? If my dreams are unreachable then what's the point of thinking about them?” Jisung avoided Jeno's intense stare._

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Oh, Jisungie… I'll make sure to bring our dreams into reality. Pinky promise.”_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Jisung's eyes slid over Jeno's outstretched hand before he shook his head with a doubting smile and interlocked their fingers. “Pinky promise. I'll work hard to help you with that.”_

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

They never got to do anything about it. Four months later Jeno's nearly burned down car was found in a ditch on the road leading out of the city. Jisung let out a sigh, gaining attention from the other two.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You good, Sungie?" Jeno raised an eyebrow at him.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Yeah, I just… Got lost in thought," the boy rubbed his temple.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"We decided that I'll stay in your apartment and Mark will room with Donghyuck for a while. We can't rent rooms in any hotels, in fact, the less we're seen, the better."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Who on Earth is Mark?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Jen's hot partner," Donghyuck rolled his eyes with an overly disappointed sigh as if Jisung was obligated to know that.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"How do you know if he's hot?" Jisung snorted, folding his arms on his chest.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I assume. Look at Jen Nim, do you imagine someone who's not hot working with him?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Gosh, Hyuck. Just shut up, please," the boy hid his face in his palm.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Jealousy is a disease," Donghyuck replied in a sing-song voice and shrugged. "You're not that bad though, it's just that you're like a baby."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Okay, first thing, I'm not jealous, and second, I'm twenty-one."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Whatever you say, baby," Donghyuck chuckled and glanced at his watch. "Anyways, Jen, didn't you say a friend of yours should be at Jisung's apartment around 3 PM cause it's like… 2:30 and I don't mean to kick you out but you know… Jisung always makes a huge mess everywhere."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Oh, right. Thanks, Donghyuck, you're a great man. We'll see you later," Jeno pat the slightly younger boy on the shoulder.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I do what?" Jisung was ready to pick up yet another argument with his favorite neighbor but Jeno successfully prevented that, dragging him out of the room. "What a…"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I like him," Jeno stated when the door closed behind him.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I don't."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I think you do."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"What you think is invalid."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jeno chuckled and ruffled Jisung's hair in response. Soon, the boy unlocked the door and they entered the apartment. Jeno finally got to take a closer look at everything. Generally, the home Jisung created for himself consisted of a small bedroom, a smaller bathroom and a living room with the bare minimum of a kitchen. However, despite being small, minimalistic and messy, it gave a sense of comfortable feeling. Maybe it was a bunch of succulents in colorful pots on the windowsill, maybe the old vinyl records on the wall, or the sunlight in which the whole room was drowned. Or it could have been just Jisung's presence, the closest Jeno's felt to home in three years. He wasn't given an opportunity to reflect on that, though, as a loud noise and a few bad words interrupted him.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"What did you do, Jisung?" He sighed, not bothering to look around.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Oh, nothing, just dropped a shelf."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"How did you…" Jeno finally looked at the boy, only to find him on the floor, surrounded by books and photos. "Wait, are those our pictures? The ones we used to take in high school?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Yep, here's everything. The ones with Lami, Joy, Jaemin, Renjun, Doyoung, Jaehyun, oh he became a cop, by the way… Wow even Chenle, uhh… I don't know who on Earth is this," Jisung counted as he put them back into the books.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Yeeun, I hanged out with her a lot in freshman and sophomore year but then she graduated."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"But then I came to school so you were never bored."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Exactly, plus I had Jaemin the entire time. Oh, speaking about our friends, it's Renjun who comes, you don't have to clean up that much."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"It's not about him. It's my duty! I won't let Donghyuck make fun of my apartment being messy," the boy narrowed his eyes with an overdramatic expression and put the shelf back into its place. "I hope Renjun won't bring Jaemin along, or else it's gonna be pretty awkward."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The moment he stopped speaking, the doorbell rang, making him wince as he walked up to the door. He opened it, revealing exactly what he was afraid of - two young men, one with a polite smile and the other one who just patted him on the shoulder and shoved aside to walk in.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"What have I done to deserve this?" Jisung whined quietly and threw his hands up, just to be crushed in a tight hug mere seconds later.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"It's nice to see you, Sungie," Jaemin mumbled against his shirt, wrapping his arms around the younger's waist.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Nice to see you too, hyung," Jisung gave the hug back, sending Jeno a hesitant look.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The older boy smirked in response, comfortably sitting on the brown couch alongside Renjun. Soon, the other two sat at the table, Jeno and Jaemin greeted each other quietly and the squad was reunited.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I can't believe I get to see you all again," Jeno clutched his shirt on his chest with dramatic expression.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Stop this cheesy talk," Renjun winced and hit Jeno's shoulder. "Jisung, get us some wine, will you?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The youngest boy decided not to argue with the Chinese man and after a few minutes, he was already pouring red wine into the glass.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Anyways, guys… Has anything interesting happened while I was gone?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I'm a pre-med major," Jaemin spoke up first, unsure what to say next.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Yeah, you got a baby, even two if we count Jisung, and you overwork yourself as usual, we know," Jeno nodded, shifting his at Renjun. "And you, anything I don't know about yet?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Silence followed as the addressed man cleared his throat and sent Jaemin a panicked look.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"He's getting married," Jaemin sighed and took a sip of wine, leaning back in the chair.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"To my old classmate," Jisung added, nodding with visible disappointment.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"For real? Renjun why haven't you told me?" Jeno widened his eyes, turning his head back at the boy.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Because I still hope the wedding will get canceled."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Is she really that bad?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Terrible. Utterly horrifying."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"No, she's not," Jisung rolled his eyes. "Renjun is just a coward."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Excuse me, how would you feel if your parents arranged your marriage for the sake of their business?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"It's indeed sad but please, Yizhuo is not a monster and I bet she's not happy to marry you too."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Renjun just groaned and hid his face in his palms. Jeno snorted and handed him the glass of wine, patting him on the shoulder.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Your turn, Jeno," Jaemin raised an eyebrow. "Three years ago Renjun told me you're alive and have never spoken about you to me again."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Well, what do I start with… I got told to run away to New Zealand and I met two guys there, Mark and Johnny… Renjun helped me a lot along the way and I ended up being a thief and a street racer. You know, just some 'Fast and Furious' shit," Jeno shrugged.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You told me you didn't die in a car crash," Jisung interrupted, gaining a confused look from his boyfriend.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Of course I didn't die," Jeno snorted and took another sip. "Do I look like I'm dead?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"A little, but you know this isn't what I meant."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jeno let out a deep sigh and hit Renjun's shoulder. "You tell them."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Renjun kept staring at the floor as he spoke up in a quiet voice. "This is partly my fault. Do you all remember those wild times when we used to go into casinos as fresh young adults? That's when it started."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jisung squinted his eyes, trying to recall that one time he went to a casino with Jeno which happened to also be the time he met Renjun.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Are you for real?” Jisung asked when he realized what building he had entered._

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Of course! Does it look like I'm joking… Oh, Renjun! That's Jisung, my little best friend. Renjun is a close friend of mine who helps me here.” Jeno introduced the two boys to each other. Jisung's eyes scanned the stranger and he knew not only the man looked like a million dollars, but just what he wore was probably near that price. Renjun had run his hand through his blonde locks and then outstretched it, offering a smile to Jisung._

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"The whole mess was pretty much caused by the fact that Jeno can't play cards for shit," Renjun continued. "He lost his and Joy's money, he lost my money and then he lost who's money? Yes, you guessed. Zhong Chenle's."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

With Chenle it was a different story. Jisung first time saw him when he was graciously playing cards, winning every round. Looking at him, Jisung wondered how would Jeno get someone like that to lend him money but one glance at his best friend, and he knew the answer. It couldn't have been hard to fall for Jeno, he was a well-mannered, handsome man with a soothing voice and intense gaze. His fancy clothing, black tuxedo, and styled hair all must have made him look like an interesting piece to the rich men.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Jeno's dumb ass lost everyone's money and then proceeded to run away?" Jaemin widened his eyes.

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"Oh no, not really. I believe he would eventually pay it back, even though neither I nor Chenle really asked for it, 'cause, please, we only lent him some leftovers. It's his father who made it a big deal."

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"The old Zhong? Didn't he die like a month ago?"

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"Yes and this is exactly why we get to sit with our lovely friend in one room right now. Continuing the story, Chenle's father got really pissed and set an impossible date for Jeno to give back the money. And when he didn't, he sent a bunch of some gangster hitmen after him."

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"That escalated quickly," Jisung mumbled under his breath and glanced at his best friend. Jeno remained quiet, staring at the floor and nodding from time to time as Renjun kept talking.

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“About the night of Jeno’s death… I think he should tell you about it,” the Chinese man sent Jeno a look to which he got a sigh in response.

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“Okay, my gosh. Well, so Jaemin and I fought, right?” Jeno sat up straight and took a sip from the glass. Jisung immediately thought about the time when they got told about Jeno’s crash and Jaemin was crying his eyes out, convinced it must have been his fault and he didn’t even get to apologize. “And I went to some fancy club, being the edgy twenty-year-old I was. There was this duo, they introduced themselves as Yu and Yuk.”

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“Yuqi and Yukhei,” Renjun nodded. “Jeno had no chances to win.”

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“The boy was buying us countless rounds out drinks, the girl was flirting with me… Or maybe someone else? I don’t know, and just clarifying, I don’t know how I ended up in a car with Yukhei too. And after a while, we were nearly out of the city and the rest is blurry but I remember a gun being pressed to my temple, and then a burning car. The fact that I’m alive is literally a miracle.”

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“Fortune favors the stupid,” Renjun snorted. “You’re so damn lucky he was told to vanish for some time and I was called to see your supposed corpse. Anyways, that’s the story. Anything else you’d like to know?”

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Jisung and Jaemin looked at each other and then back at Renjun and Jeno, both with raised eyebrows, waiting for a response. Jaemin let out a slightly shaky breath and shook his head. "I think this is beyond the limit of information we can process anyway."

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"Awesome, now that we've finished the wine, do you want some whiskey?"

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"I don't have any whiskey," Jisung interrupted quickly.

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"I do," they heard a muffled voice from behind a wall. All of them flinched a little. Even though Jisung experiences that every day, and Jaemin and Renjun from time to time, it was hard to get used to the fact that someone was hearing your every word. Whenever Jisung whined an 'Aw man, I'm out of flour.' he could expect Donghyuck to show up at his door with a bag of some. It sure must be nice to have a neighbor like him, but both of the boys were glad the other locator on the third floor was hardly ever home.

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"Then come here," Renjun shouted back after a while.

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Some shuffling could be heard and then the door being shut with way more force than necessary. Soon, Donghyuck burst into Jisung's apartment with two bottles of whiskey in one hand.

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"Hello, I didn't expect Renjun to be Jen's friend," he smirked and put the bottles on the table, throwing himself on the couch between Jeno and the Chinese man, winking at the latter. "Nice to see you too, Jaemin, it's been a while. Oh, and I knew from the very beginning Jen Nim is not Jeno's real name."

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The next events were quite predictable: drinking, laughing, stupid games, and even stupider stories, because what else would you expect from five young and drunk men.

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It was the first time they got to do it in this squad. Jisung giggled happily, as Jaemin's warm hand wrapped around his waist. He pulled him closer and leaned his head on the younger's shoulder. They were now on the floor, sitting against a white wall. The other three were sprawled out on the couch, Jeno texting messages he's going to regret sending once he sobers up, and Donghyuck exchanging lazy and sloppy kisses with Renjun, which they're likely to regret later as well.

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"It's pretty nice like that, don't you think so?" Jisung sighed, leaning into his boyfriend's touch. It used to burn, in high school, Jisung couldn't handle closer proximity with Jeno's boyfriend at the time. But now it was just so incredibly warm and comfortable. Even though neither of them was fully happy in their relationship, moments like that kept them together and helped them to forget about all the useless things they struggle in with their daily lives.

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Around midnight Jaemin had to go, and he decided to forcefully take Renjun with him. The older boy would gladly stay at Donghyuck's apartment but that could end in many different ways, at least three of them involving someone getting beaten up.

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Soon, Jisung was preparing Jeno a couch to sleep while the latter was taking a shower. In theory, Jeno could fit in together with Jisung, not like he's never slept in his bed before, he's slept even under it, but the boy decided to give him some space.

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Despite his previous good intentions, Jisung found himself snuggling under Jeno's duvet around two hours later.

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"Did you have a nightmare or something?" Jeno asked in a husky voice, rubbing his eyes.

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"Yeah, kind of… Ever since your… death? I've had nightmares or bad dreams at least once a week. Different ones, really. But usually, you'd be there too. I thought they'd stop now that you're here but turns out I was wrong," Jisung sighed, adjusting himself more comfortably on the couch (which was hard since the couch itself was nowhere near comfortable).

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"I'm sorry to hear that," Jeno lied on his side to face the younger boy. "It appears that I've caused a lot of trouble."

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"Heck yeah you did," Jisung snorted," but if you didn't you'd be dead for real so I forgive your dumb ass."

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Jeno only scoffed in response and after a while, Jisung could hear his breath evening and quiet snores escaping his throat from time to time. He sighed once again and turned around, trying to get back to sleep. After three years of experiencing such things, it should take him only a while. Plus, this nightmare wasn't even that bad. The boy lied on his back, the memory of the dream becoming less vivid each second.

[TW: the following nightmare includes blood, violence and zombies]

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_“Jisung, stop it!” The girl squeezed into the dirty corner squeaked, covering her eyes as the tall boy kicked a lying, curled up figure once again. The sky was awfully grey, and the ground must have been cold but the person couldn't feel it anymore._

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_“Jisung, you freak! Do you want to kill him?!” Jeno shouted at him, gaining a look from the boy which said that at the moment he kind of did._

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_“This fucker used my sister! With no regrets, as if she was a worthless piece of trash!” The girl sobbed louder at Jisung's words but Jeno's eyes remained locked with the ones of the younger boy._

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_“So you're trying to get yourself into jail so she'd suffer even more?” His voice was quiet and calm and it seemed to cool Jisung down a bit, in spite of what he had expected._

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_Jisung lifted his leg up and aimed at the unconscious boy and this time even Jeno closed his eyes. But instead of breaking his ribs, he kicked a rock in pure fury, sending it dangerously close to the school's windows. A piece of paint, now dirty and brownish, fell off the wall. Then, more pieces fell off, revealing a huge door. Someone was knocking, and the noise was becoming unbearable. Jisung was just about to walk up and open it when he felt a strong grip on his ankle. He looked down to face not Lami's ex-boyfriend but a rotting body of Lee Jeno. Jisung could hear his sister's ear-piercing scream, fighting the urge to scream too. He glanced over his shoulder to see Lami, pinned to the wall by a tall, knifed boy. When he noticed a drop of blood streaming down her pale neck, he flinched, ready to run to the girl._

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_"Jisung, the door is your only way out."_

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_The boy lowered his gaze back to the ground, half covering the undead. Jeno's eyes were empty, yet Jisung could clearly tell he was looking at him and seeing him hesitate._

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_"Her or you?"_

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_Jisung looked back at his sister, now lying on the ground as well, covered in blood. He's made a choice but then he heard a growl and felt his ankle being free again. When he looked at where Jeno's corpse should be, he froze, watching as a bunch of bodies come out from the dirt and crawl into his direction at a terrifying pace. He ran for his life, but when he reached the door, he realized how huge it was. The boy jumped, trying to reach the doorknob._

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_"You didn't help me!" He shot a look at his half-dead sister, crawling to him too._

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_"Jisung, open the freaking door!" He heard Jeno's voice right next to his ear. His heart was racing like crazy and his cheeks were covered in bloody tears, as he felt a strong grip on his shoulder, shaking him violently._

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"Jisung, for fuck's sake! Wake up!"

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The boy opened his eyes to see Jeno's concerned face right above his. Jeno leaned away, letting out a shaky breath, as Jisung sat up, covered in sweat and breathing heavily.

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"I'm sorry," he mumbled, trying to stand up but being tugged into a short, comforting hug instead.

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"It's fine. But now open the door, I don't know where the heck you have keys."

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Jisung chuckled shortly, walking up to the table and taking keys out of a jar with pencils and fake yellow flowers. When he finally unlocked the door with his shaking hands, he was met with a smiling face of a stranger, a male in his twenties.

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"Hi, I'm aware it's an ungodly hour now but apparently my friend is staying at your place and I must meet him immediately."

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"What name do you go by?" Jisung raised an eyebrow, already expecting an answer.

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"Mark, Mark Nam."

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"Oh my gosh, you absolute moron, it's four a.m.!" Jeno came from behind the younger boy and dragged the new guest inside, giving him a strangling hug seconds later.

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"I know, I know, but if I came at a decent hour, I could get noticed by someone and we don't need any excess problems."

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"You're forgiven, now meet Jisung, my best friend," Jeno grabbed Jisung's arm and made him walk up closer.

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After greetings and a short small talk, Mark went to the bathroom, while Jeno made the bed, or more like the couch. Jisung was leaning on the table, waiting for the water to boil. They wouldn't sleep now anyway, so they deserve at least a cup of coffee.

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"Are you okay?"

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The boy turned around to see Jeno staring at him with furrowed eyebrows.

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"I'm alright, just… That nightmare was worse."

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"Have you talked about them with anyone?"

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"Only Donghyuck. Boy, you don't even know how many times he had to use my spare keys to come here and shut me up before I wake up half of the neighbors with my screaming."

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"You two seem way closer than you claim you to be," Jeno chuckled, remembering Jisung's previous harsh words about his neighbor.

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"Yeah, I guess we are… somewhat best friends? After you were no longer here, I stuck with Renjun for a while, started college, and then I moved here and, well, Donghyuck nagged at me for being loud on the first day and somehow we became friends."

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"Lovely indeed. I must admit I missed you like, a lot. And I was lucky that Renjun advised me to ask around for Mark Nam because he's now somewhat my best friend too. He also had to run away, I don't know why and when, heck, I don't even know what his real name is but things like that bring people closer."

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"Yeah, you know, Donghyuck lost someone dear to him too, also with no explanation and such," Jisung nodded, "And wait, so I can't call you Jeno when Mark's around?"

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"Nope, just Jen. I'm moving to Russia in a few days anyway, I'm gonna need a new name so…"

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"What?! What do you mean you're moving to Russia?" Jisung widened his eyes, not noticing the water boil already.

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"I can't stay here after robbing a bank, Sungie," Jeno let out a deep sigh. "Mark's moving to Greece too. And Renjun might go back to China with his fiancee."

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"This is so unfair," Jisung could feel his eyes getting watery as he was pouring water into the cups. "I got you back only for like a week, huh."

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"Jisung, oh my gosh," Jeno laughed, seeing his best friend wiping the tears away. "Don't cry, please. You know I can't hide in your room like I did when I ran away from home." He wrapped his arms around Jisung's waist, pulling him closer.

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The boy nodded, sniffling quietly.

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_"You're thirteen years old, what can you know?" Jeno sniffled with a frown, staring at the floor he was sitting on._

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__

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"Well, I know that running away from home isn't something you should do. I can't secretly keep you in my room forever, my mom is suspecting something and Lami already found out."

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__

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_Jisung couldn't believe how miserable Jeno looked like at the moment, hugging his knees, with messy hair and red eyes. He sat next to him with a sigh and allowed himself to embrace his best friend with an encouraging hug. To his surprise, the older boy didn't push him away – instead, he leaned into the touch. Jisung's mind was racing with questions, how bad Jeno must feel, and how to help him._

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It was nearly the same now, but they weren't kids anymore and they had to face real problems. Not that Jeno's problems as a teenager weren't real – they were, all the fighting with his uncaring parents and snobby older sister shaped him into who he is now. But their current problems could actually get them into prison, or worse, straight into the afterlife.

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"Uh, guys, am I interrupting something?"

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Jisung immediately flinched away, hiding his red face. Jeno, completely unphased, handed Mark his coffee and sat down on the couch, patting the free space next to him.

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"Not at all. While we're here, we might as well discuss some things."

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Mark joined Jeno on the couch, furrowing his eyebrows. "I thought everything is already planned."

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"Well, we might have added some slight changes."

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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ________________________

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° ° °

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"So, there's nine of us. Plus Jaemin's baby."

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Jisung looked around in the dark, empty warehouse. It was around eleven a.m. the same day. So far, it's been pretty calm, the majority of them had classes or work after all, except those few moments when Donghyuck nearly fainted at the sight of Mark and still hasn't explained why, or when Jeno and Chenle had to act like strangers around the latter's bodyguards. Jisung's other personal favorite was also when Yangyang and Hendery, Donghyuck's college friends, got all excited because Jeno is "the boy Renjun told us to stalk years ago, literally oh my gosh, you are so good at hiding, bro."

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“Literally why would you take a child with you, Jaemin,” Renjun shook his head with a sigh.

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“He's asleep anyway, let me live. His mother had to leave the city for three days,” Jaemin rolled his eyes, going around in circles with a green perambulator.

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“Okay then. Our crew got bigger than expected but every cloud has a silver lining, right?” Jeno spoke up, leaning over the table full of notes. “According to our newest plan, these are our respective roles.”

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Mark cleared his throat and began reading. “Jen and Mark, getting the money. Renjun, Chenle, formalities and back up. Donghyuck, Yangyang, hacking. Jaemin, medical help. Jisung, driving. Hendery and the baby, acting.”

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“Shouldn't we have one more driver? Or, I don't know, a helicopter?“ Hendery raised an eyebrow, gesturing with his hands.

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"Well, we got Jaehyun," Jisung said in a quiet voice.

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"He's a cop," Jaemin rolled his eyes.

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"That's even better," Mark shrugged his arms, leaning back in his seat. "Can we trust him?"

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"Heck yeah we can," Renjun smirked at him. "Flying is literally his job, plus he has a soft spot for our trio," he pointed at Jisung, Jaemin and himself.

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"What about Doyoung?" Jeno lifted his gaze, locking it with Jisung's. "He could help Jaemin in case something happened."

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"Sorry to break it to you, Jen… Three years ago he decided to become a decent human being and a proper doctor. He doesn't get associated with anything shady now."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Good for him," the older boy let out a sigh. "In that case, does everyone know what they're doing?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You might have trouble making it out of the building. The door will lock once you break-in," Chenle looked Jeno in the eyes and Jisung couldn't help but smile as he noticed his best friend taking his hand under the table.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Yeah, and we can't hack it. It has to be turned off from the inside," Yangyang nodded.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"This is what we got our Hendery for. He'll make it inside and then turn off the security."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"And I just leave the child somewhere?" Hendery widened his eyes.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Heck no! You take it with you and keep your eyes on it all the time," Jaemin opposed, stopping in his tracks.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Chill, your baby will be fine," Jeno spoke again, sitting in his chair. "Is everything clear now? Then get an earpiece each."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Everyone took an earpiece from the ones laying on the table and soon, they were formed into little groups or pairs, talking quietly. Yangyang and Hendery left first, followed by Jaemin and not-exactly-his son.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jisung remained sitting at the table, glancing over at his friends. Jeno and Chenle were standing near the door, having a quiet conversation. Even from a distance, Jisung was able to notice the hearts in his best friend's eyes. Jeno leaned on the door frame, tilting his head to the side. Chenle left the room, right after giving Jeno a kiss so quick that Jisung wasn't sure if it actually happened. The older boy let out a loud sigh and joined Jisung at the table, staring at the remaining trio.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"What to do you mean?" Jisung turned his head at Jeno, blinking in confusion.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Renjun, Mark, and Donghyuck. I've always had my theories about the first two but Hyuck and Renjun yesterday… But now that I see the three of them, I'm just thinking, perhaps…"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You think they have something going on?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I mean, look at them," Jeno pointed at the men with his hand. They were all laughing, keeping eye contact, and doing an enormous amount of subtle skinship. In short, being super obvious.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I also think Mark and Donghyuck knew each other before."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"That's more than likely."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"What do we do? Renjun’s our best friend but he’s getting married so..."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Nothing. We'll see what happens next."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Next, however, Renjun drove the four of them to their respective apartments, and that was it. Jisung was trying hard to ignore his neighbor having loud conversations with Mark but it reminded him too much of the triade he gave Jeno yesterday morning.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This night his best friend decided to sleep in his bed from the very beginning to, like he said, 'prevent nightmares.' And as much as Jisung would like to believe that Jeno is thoughtful and caring enough to do that, he was perfectly aware of how uncomfortable his couch is.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"It feels like we're in high school again," Jeno chuckled, laying down on his stomach. He scrolled on his phone for a while and then put it aside from the bed, facing Jisung.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Yeah, except none of our sisters is bothering us," Jisung laughed too, covering himself with a blanket. And well, he jinxed it. Just as he turned the lights off, he got a notification informing about a new text message. "Okay, nevermind. Lami asked if I'll be able to eat dinner with her and mom tomorrow."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"She was a lovely kid. And sure you can go. We start the thing on Wednesday, so…" Jeno shrugged, adjusting himself more comfortably under the sheets.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Then what about you? Will you stay in or what?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Umm… I might sneak out with Chenle somewhere, but he's not allowed to do that so you haven't heard anything from me," Jisung chuckled at the sight of his best friend, a manly and a quite dangerous adult, blushing like a teenage girl in love.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You know, I don't wanna burst your bubble but the two of you kinda don't seem to be… meant to be," he lied on his side, staring into Jeno's orbs reflecting the moon creeping through the curtains. "I mean when you fell for each other, you were still dating Jaemin, so you couldn't really… be with him. Then you had to leave the country, and soon you will have to do it again. Plus his father wanted you dead so…"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I know, Sung, I really do. I don’t plan my life with him or anything, I just kinda miss him, you know,” the older boy let out a sigh, shifting his gaze o stare at the ceiling. “It’s a bit tiring, not being able to get into a relationship, live in one house for longer than two weeks, getting emotionally attached to anything… ‘Cause there are people who try to catch you and such. That’s why I want to quit all the illegal stuff.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Uh, I see…" Jisung mumbled, really wanting to continue the conversation but he couldn't hold his eyelids open. He had a response in mind but didn't get to say it, drifting away to a peaceful sleep. Turns out, Jeno's presence actually prevented Jisung's nightmares.

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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ________________________

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° ° °

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"So you're telling me that's it. We're stuck together in a truck until we get a signal from Mark," Jisung leaned his forehead on the steering wheel, leaving the engine on. The boy in the passenger seat let out an overdramatic sigh and turned off his microphone.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Jisung everything's going to be fine. Mark and Jen are in, Hendery's making a scene, Renjun and Chenle are trying to get into their respective accounts, Jaemin's drinking coffee and peacefully monitoring the street, Yangyang is in the helicopter alongside Jaehyun… We're good!"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Are we, really? I feel quite bad, stealing people's money. Maybe there are poor families, old grandmas or broke students, who have accounts in this bank," Jisung lifted his head up to face Donghyuck, who just raised one eyebrow and shook his head in disappointment.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"No one told you? We're not robbing innocent people, honey. It's a privately-owned bank, all the money kept here is gambled. Apparently, it's safer, that's why our rich Chinese friends have accounts here too," the older boy patted Jisung's shoulder with a motherly smile. "You're such a nice, innocent kid, oh my gosh."

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Jisung scrunched up his nose, leaning back in his seat. He felt some weight come off his chest. He's robbing the rich, not the innocent, kinda like Robin Hood, right? "Alright, now we should focus, Jeno's taking too long."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"He'll be fine. Yangyang is keeping all the securities off."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"They kicked me out!" The men heard a muffled voice through their earpieces. “But I turned off the door security.”

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"Hendery, walk away immediately. And don't forget the baby!" Another voice ordered quietly, gaining a short response and then it got quiet again.

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"Chenle, Renjun, you good?" Donghyuck asked, staring at the glowing laptop screen.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Yeah, we're getting our money, the safe is open."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Jen, Mark, get in, the cameras are looped," Yangyang said, his voice a bit shaky. Donghyuck knew him well, and knew that he doesn't have much experience too, but Renjun chose him, so could he argue?

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And at this point, Jisung really thought they would do well, with no complications. Donghyuck told him to relax, asked how was his family dinner the previous day. So he allowed himself to relax a bit, to sit more comfortably in his seat and stare at Donghyuck’s laptop screen. And that was a mistake.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Holy shit, they noticed me,” Mark’s panicked whisper brought him back into the reality.

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“Go to your left,” Yangyang ordered him, making Donghyuck lean closer to the screen and squint his eyebrows.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“No, there are guards. Go to your right.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Hyuck, what? Do you want him to get caught?”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Yang, have you seen Chenle or Renjun walk through the corridors?”

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Silence followed his question for the next few seconds.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“No. They’re giving me recordings of old camera footage.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Jen, Mark, get out immediately, a bunch of black cars just pulled up,” Jaemin spoke in a quiet yet firm voice.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Change of plans, I take the helicopter,” Mark could hardly speak as he was running up the stairs.

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“Jisung, pull up closer. Mark, are they chasing you?” Jeno mumbled and soon Jisng could see him walk out of the building in his plumber disguise, with a cap covering half of his face and a big bag supposedly full of tools.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The rest happened quickly, way too quickly for Jisung’s liking. Some men in black suits ran inside, he heard gunshots through his earpiece, Jeno finally got into the van, as he was driving off Renjun kept asking if everyone’s okay. One car was following Jisung for a while, Donghyuck decided to mess with traffic lights to lose them. And fast forward half an hour later the whole nine of them plus Jaemin’s baby were back in the warehouse.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“So are we good?” Mark shot Yangyang a look as Jaemin was bandaging his arm. “Are we good aside from the fact that Mark got shot?” The Chinese boy rolled his eyes.

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“They tracked us. I assume now they know for sure only about Mark and Yangyang but they can eventually find us all,” Donghyuck spoke up, his eyes glued to the laptop screen. “Luckily, Wang Jen Nim and Mark Nam,” he paused to dramatically click the ‘enter’ button, “do not exist anymore. Yang and Jaehyun both have alibis just in case, Hendery, Jaemin, Jisung and I are unlikely to be suspected and no one will mess with Chenle and Renjun anyway.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“So… Is that it? The end? We’re getting our part of the money and vanish somewhere as if we’ve never met?” Hendery asked quietly, not looking up from the child sitting on his lap, happily playing with his sleeve.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“As if we’ve never met in this squad,” Renjun said, trying to lift up the atmosphere. “We can all remain friends, just not to the public.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Is it true that you, Jen and Mark are leaving the country?” Donghyuck finally shifted his gaze, looking Renjun in the eyes.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Yes.”

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And once again, that was it. Two hours later the warehouse was empty and locked as if no one was ever there. Yangyang and Hendery said bye, the latter claiming that Jaemin’s baby is an absolute angel and he needs to babysit him some time in the future. Soon, the seven boys were all squeezed in Jisung’s small apartment. Mark and Jeno both had their’s stuff packed and waiting next to the door, as they were exchanging the last hugs with the rest.

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Jisung glanced at Jaemin, Jeno and Renjun with teary eyes. He really didn’t mean to cry but he knew his ultimate best friend squad for life is mercilessly breaking apart. But he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t help the tears.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Jeno, don’t leave me here alone, I’m going to die of boredom!” Seven-year-old Jisung whined and squeezed his best friend’s hand on the first day of summer vacation Jeno spent in his grandparents’ village._

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Don’t leave me now, Lee Jeno! Don’t you freaking dare, you moron!” Fourteen-year-old Jisung in a haunted house shouted with anger and growing fear._

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Jeno, no… Don’t leave me, please. I need you, we were supposed to take over the world together, remember?” Eighteen-year-old Jisung whispered in a shaky voice, his vision was blurry from tears yet he could still clearly see the closed coffin in front of him._

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I can’t believe you’re leaving me again,” now twenty-one-year-old Jisung smiled bitterly with his head hung low.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Jeno put one hand on his shoulder and lifted his chin up with the other. When their eyes met, he smiled, with that one smile that makes his eyes look like crescent-shaped moon.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“But I always come back, don’t I?”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> a bunch of flashbacks and facts didn't make it to this version of the story so i can share them now.
> 
> first thing, this is a happy end! chenji bonded over having their hears broken by jeno and they're making money by betting on jisung who finally fulfilled his teenage dream - car racing. what happened to the rest, did renjun get married, or did jeno come back? take a wild guess ;)  
as for the backstory, i didn't emphasize enough that nosung were causing trouble ever since they entered high school. and about jaemin who plays an important part in both of their lives - he's actually ace and insomniac and watches cooking programs to sleep (this is where jisung got all of his vegan recipes and bare minimum cooking skills from.)
> 
> anyways mwah hmu on [twitter](https://twitter.com/lunariajen) and cc :D


End file.
